Automobile spring suspension



Sept. 1; 1925.

I 1,552,149 L. P. HALLADAY AUTOMOBILE SPRING SUSPENSION Filed March 17;1924 6y QWAM g Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

U NI TE D ,'S'T.'A T E S NT 0 F F I C E LEWIS I. HALLADAY, OF DECATUR,ILLINOIS.

AUTOMOBILE SPRING SUSPENSION.

Application filed-March 17, 1924: Serial No. 699,640;

in Which the parts shall be of maximum durability. Other objects willappear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention' moreor less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure-l'is a side elevation of theshock absorber in position Figure 2 is an end view ofthe shock absorberwith parts omitted; and

Figure 3-is a section on the'line 33 of rre 2.

ike partsareaillustrated by like charactens throughout the specificationand drawa is-a vehicle axle; upon which is mounted the spring perch Asecured thereto by the bolt A and the nut A j A is a lug or studprojecting upwardly and inwardly from the bend of the spring perch A Itwill be noted that in Figure 1 the spring perch is located in a positionopposite to that in which it is used when the supplemental springsupport isdispensed; with.

B is any suitable spring member-herein shown as semi-elliptic spring,the inner end of which is adaptedto be secured to the vehicle body, nothereinshown.

C is a bolt or. pin passing through the eyelet of the perch A tively--hemisphericalenlargement D? which, is performed-asat D to receive-thespring engaging element: below described. The spring support D is at itsopposite end expa de -a 1 l-h91l0Wed to s rrou d the lat body portion D.

erally enlarged perforated head A of the springperch A and is at thatpoint provided with the opposed perforated walls D D the inner'surfacesof whichare spaced apart by substantially the length of the enlargementA, These Walls are strengthened along the bottom by the- .flange, Dwhich projects inwardlytherealong and is adapted to engage-or closely toapproach the under slde of the enlarged element A This flange extendsfrom front to rear of; the enlarged portion of the spring; support andrests upon the inclined stem of the spring perch A the lug A supportingthe inner surface of the spring support substantially in align ment withthe rib D which contacts the The second or pivoted spring support is inthe form of a hell crank lever pivoted as at E;upon the 'pin Q'beingsplit at that point to engage :such pin= at each side of the arms orwalls D of the fixed springjsupport D. The two arms join as at E theunited port-ion. being perforated as at E to admit or grip aspringwengaging element later to be described. 011 the op positeiside ofthe pivot E the arms of: the, lever join as at E and are perforated toadmita pivot pin-E upon which are pivoted the links E to the oppositeends of which is secured the pin B which passes through the eyelet B ofthe spring B.

Secured tothe portions E and D? of the pivoted and fixed spring supportsrespectively are the spring contactingplates G, each provided with threeperipheral radial lugs ofvarying height G,.G and G each .lug beingsubstantially .higher at its inner end than at its outer end. Theseplates are provided with a centrally located lug: or stud G4 adaptedto,penetrate and-seat inthe apertures D*rin ;lr]ll respectively, being:held therein by thetensionof thesupplemental spring.

H- isagspiral spring adapted to becompressed between; theopposed:plates? G. The V angularrelationofthe radialrlugs on the plates and thespring is such that'the end of. the 7 spring abuts against, the side oft the highest of the three, lugs, and is successively contacted. by orsupported, by the lowest. lug. G the intermediate lug -G?*-and.finallyby the. top ofthe highestlug G -Th8 spring may be centered upon these:lugs by the shaping of t he-wlugathey beingv shaped to conform to thecircular cross section of; thespring wire, and being herein shown asshaped higher at their inner end than at their outer edges, to have theeffect of a core projecting outwardly through the spring and centeringit.

For ease in assembly, the fixed spring sup porting element D and thebell crank lever are pivoted together for example by the two sleeves Dwhich pass through the apertures in the perforated walls D of the fixedspring supporting element and through the split arms E of the bell cranklever. The holding pin C is passed through the two sleeves and throughthe perforated extensions A of the perch A The result of this is thatthe spiral spring H may be assembled under compression in the factory.If these sleeves are not used, then in order to assemble the apparatuson a car, it is necessary to provide some kind of a holding tool tocompress the spring H so as to permit the operator to fit the partstogether with the plates G engaging the spring and with the fixed androtating spring supports aligned so that the pins C may be pressedthrough their apertures and through the perforated portionA of thespring perch.

It will be realized that while I have shown an operative device, manychanges may be made in the size, shape, number, relation, proportion anddisposition of parts vwithout departing from the spirit of my invention,and I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as in abroad sense diagrammatic.

The use and operation of my inventionare as follows The shock absorberis assembled with the bell crank lever or moving spring support and thenormally fixed spring support both pivoted on the pin C on the perch ACompressed between the plates G is the spiral spring H, each end of thespring abutting against the highest of the three lugs on the adjacentplate and supported by the tops of the three lugs and centered on theplate by the upper projection of the inner end of each of the threelugs. The. use of these plates and lugs makes unnecessary anyflattening, or'shaping of the end of the spring and makes unnecessaryany additional guiding or centering element or mechanism for the spring.The result is a shock absorber of extreme simplicity of manufacture andassembly, and the individual supplemental springs need simply be clippedto the desired length from the spring stock used. The entiresupplemental spring action intervenes between the leaf spring and thespring perch. No structural modification is needed to mount the shockabsorber means on the vehicle beyond turning the spring perch A to theposition shown in Figure 1.

The fixed spring support D is held in position by the pressure of thespring which presses it down-against the perch A and against the lug AThe bell crank lever or moving support rotates about the pin C andtransmits to the spring H the fluctuations in pressure resulting fromthe unevennesses of the road.

The strengthening flange D is so positioned that any play of the elementD which would tend to wear out and enlarge or tear out the aperture oreyes in the elements D will bring the flange D in contact with theelongated element A of the spring perch.

The element D is, in the course of the use of the vehicle, subjected tostrain at two points, namely at the eyelets through its sides, and atits engagement with the spring perch, or rather with the lug A The flatportion, or supporting rib lD adequately strengthens the point ofengagement with the lug and with the perch and the flanges D strengthenthe lower edge of the element. At times the fixed spring support willtend to pivot about the lug A of the spring perch, exerting an upwardstrain against the bottom of the pin C and thus tending to enlarge theeyelets. At such time the flanges D? contact each end of the elongatedelement A and prevent undue strain upon pin and eyelet.

I claim:

1. In a supplemental spring support adapted to be interposed between therunning gear and the body of an automotive vehicle, a transverse axle,aspring perch mounted thereon, an elongated, perforated terminal elementtherefor, a pivot pin passing through said elongated perforated portion,a spring support adapted to be seated upon said perch and to be held inposition thereon, in part by said pin, and'flanges on said supportadapted to engage the bottom of said elongated section.

2. In a supplemental spring support adapted to be interposed between therunning gear and the body of an automotive vehicle, a transverse axle, aspring perch mounted thereon, an elongated, perforated terminal elementtherefor, a pivot pin passing through said elongated perforated portion,an upwardly and inwardly projecting spring support adapted to be seatedupon said perch and to be held in position thereon, in part by said pin,the perforated portions thereof being adapted to engage each end of saidelongated perforated portion, and flanges inwardly projecting therefrom,adapted to engage the bottoms of the ends of said elongated section.

3. In a supplemental spring support adapted to be interposed between therunning gear and the body of an automotive vehicle, a transverse axle, aspring perch mounted thereon, an elongated, perforated terminal elementtherefor, a pivot pin passing through said elongated perforatedporflanges tion, a spring support adapted to be seated upon said perchand to be held in position thereon, in part by said pin, and flange-s onsaid support, adapted to engage the bottom of said elongated section,and an opposed pivoted spring support pivoted upon said pivot pin, aspiral spring interposed between one end of said pivoted support andsaid fixed support, and a connection between the opposite end of saidfixed support and the running gear.

4. In a supplemental spring support adapted to be interposed between therunning gear and the body of an automotive vehicle, a transverse axle, aspring perch mounted thereon, an elongated, perforated terminal elementtherefor, a pivot pin passing through said elongated perforated portion, an upwardly and inwardly projecting spring support adapted to beseated upon said perch and to be held in position thereon, in part bysaid pin, the perforated portions thereof being adapted to engage eachend of said elongated perforated portion, and inwardly projectingtherefrom,

adapted to engage the bottoms of the ends of said elongated section, andan opposed pivoted spring support pivoted upon said pivot pin, a spiralspring interposed between one end of said pivoted support and said fixedsupport, and a connection between the opposite end of said fixed supportand the running gear.

'5. In a supplemental spring support adapted to be interposed betweenthe runnin gear and the body of an automotive vehicle, a transverseaxle, a spring perch mounted thereon, a transverse apertured elongatedterminal element at the outer end thereof, a spring support carried bythe perch, its inner walls being recessed to admit the ends of saidterminal element, a pin passing through said aperture and adapted tohold the spring support upon said element, and a supplemental springadapted to be supported by said spring support.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, this 8th dayof March, 1924.

LEWIS P. HALLADAY.

